Pets at Home’s new chief executive appointment came as a shock as she was a name few in the sector were familiar with. What can Lyssa McGowan bring to the role to drive the business to the next level?

Lyssa McGowan 1

Lyssa McGowan is a former Sky executive 

When Pets at Home chief executive Peter Pritchard announced he would be leaving the retailer this spring, the industry waited to see who would be up to the task of filling his boots.

Step forward Lyssa McGowan, the former Sky executive with an impressive corporate CV – albeit one short on retailing experience. 

Pets at Home has been one of the pandemic winners as locked-down customers splurged on their furry friends.

In its most recent results, the petcare retailer was on track for a “record” year, with group sales up 8.7% year on year on a like-for-like basis in the 12 weeks to December 30.

On a two-year basis, like-for-like sales jumped 28.1% over the same period.

Pets at Home chair Ian Burke said at the time of McGowan’s appointment that he was “delighted” to welcome her to the retailer.

He said: “Lyssa brings strong corporate, strategic and operational expertise across a range of consumer-facing businesses, and a proven track record of growth at Sky, with significant experience in customer and digital-first initiatives across multiple channels and sites.

“Following an extensive search process across internal and external candidates, the board believes that Lyssa has the requisite skills and capabilities to lead Pets at Home as it executes its future growth strategy.

“Lyssa’s commercial and strategic experience will undoubtedly be of great benefit to Pets at Home and I very much look forward to working with her.”

Taking the reins of a booming business gives McGowan plenty of opportunity, but will her non-retail skillset prove to be an asset or hindrance? 

Sky-high ambition

McGowan began her career in the late 1990s as a business analyst for McKinsey & Company, where she served until 2010 with the exception of a two-year stint at Telewest Broadband.

In 2010, she joined Sky UK as customer strategy director, working her way up to her most recent role as chief consumer officer, which she took on in 2019.

A former Sky colleague told Retail Week that, while Sky may not necessarily be classed as a retailer, McGowan’s role means she “knows how to fight” in a consumer marketplace and her knowledge of consumer data and insight will be unmatched in the retail industry.

Sky’s focus on subscriptions will also serve her well as a key area of growth for Pets at Home.

McGowan has also sat on the non-executive board of a retailer before, having been brought in at Morrisons to help guide it through the protracted bidding war between CD&R and Fortress last year.

Her tenure at Sky has undoubtedly been consumer-focused – a skill that retail recruitment experts agree will serve her well in her new position.

“As the business has matured it’s become more about customer engagement, the lifetime value of the customer and their total revenue stream. It makes sense to pivot to a different style and background”

Fran Minogue, Clarity

“Pets at Home doesn’t come from a marketing position, it comes from a trading position,” says Clarity founder and managing partner Fran Minogue.

“Peter [Pritchard] is a great trader, but as the business has matured it’s become more about customer engagement, the lifetime value of the customer and their total revenue stream.

“How do you engage them through the store, through the vet practice, through the grooming, through subscriptions? I think it makes sense to pivot to a different style and background.”

While Pets at Home has sailed through the pandemic, Tony Gregg of executive search firm Anthony Gregg Partnership believes the time is right to bring the business to the next level using extra-retail knowledge – a trend he believes will be seen across other booming businesses in the sector.

“We’re going to see lots more of these kinds of appointments, where non-retailers will become chief executives of retail businesses,” he says. 

“We’re trying different people from different sectors – and what a pedigree McGowan brings from Sky”

Tony Gregg, Anthony Gregg Partnership

“We’re now seeing that retailers don’t believe execs from their competitors could bring anything different and, as we’re going through these digital transformations, no one really knows what the next great CEO looks like.

“We’re trying different people from different sectors – and what a pedigree McGowan brings from Sky. 

“You can bring heavyweights like her into these very successful well-run businesses like Pets at Home. Where they are already good businesses, you will see more of these appointments, but maybe for those that aren’t trading as well they will still be looking for retail expertise.”

Bringing a fresh perspective therefore could help Pets at Home amalgamate its various divisions to create a holistic customer experience to drive further growth.

Achilles heel?

While some would class Sky as a kind of retailer, it’s a very different type of business to Pets at Home. A big gap in McGowan’s knowledge is sure to be operations and stores.

A former colleague also pointed out that her “Achilles heel” will lie in managing a supply chain and a large organisation of people – something she will not have had to tackle so far in her career.

Peggy Pets at Home

Stores remain a major part of the Pets at Home business

Minogue, however, believes that the strong team around McGowan, including chief operating officer David Robinson, chief financial officer Mike Iddon and chief people and culture officer Louise Stonier, will help set McGowan up to thrive at what she does best.

“Management is all about teams; it’s not just one individual,” she says. 

“As long as she has people around her who are strong on the commercial side and on the stores, then having her at the centre could be a very good move. It’s a very good team there so a good balance can be struck.”

Gregg thinks that McGowan’s first plan should be to go out to stores, ensuring total visibility across the UK network.

“There will always be a big transition – it’s a very differently run business to Sky,” he says.

“She’s dealing with different people. Retailers are used to going to the stores, getting around the people – that’s something she will find very different. 

“She will need to be very visible in the stores because that’s what makes a great leader. She needs to be visible not just in her hometown, but throughout the UK business.”

While some may have been surprised by McGowan’s appointment, her skillset and experience make sense to further Pets at Home’s success following a stellar period under Peter Pritchard’s tenure.

With her track record in subscriptions and customer relations combined with a strong senior team around her, McGowan is in prime position to make Pets at Home leader of the pack. 

  • Sign up for our daily morning briefing to get the latest retail news and analysis